Rat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ratted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ratting.] 1. In English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union.

Coleridge . . . incurred the reproach of having ratted, solely by his inability to follow the friends of his early days.

De Quincey.

2. To catch or kill rats.

Ra"ta (rä"t), n. [Maori.] (Bot.) A New Zealand forest tree (Metrosideros robusta), also, its hard dark red wood, used by the Maoris for paddles and war clubs.

Rat`a*bil"i*ty (rt`*bl"*t), n. The quality or state of being ratable.

Rat"a*ble (rt"*b'l), a. 1. Capable of being rated, or set at a certain value.

Twenty oræ were ratable to [at] two marks of silver.

Camden.

2. Liable to, or subjected by law to, taxation; as, ratable estate.

3. Made at a proportionate rate; as, ratable payments. -- Rat"a*ble*ness, n. -- Rat"a*bly, adv.

Rat`a*fi"a (rt`*f"), n. [F., fr. Malay arak arrack + tfa a spirit distilled from molasses.] A spirituous liquor flavored with the kernels of cherries, apricots, peaches, or other fruit, spiced, and sweetened with sugar; -- a term applied to the liqueurs called noyau, curaçao, etc. [Written also ratifia and ratafee.]

Ra*tan" (r*tn"), n. See Rattan.

Rat"a*ny (rt"*n), n. (Bot.) Same as Rhatany.

||Ra`ta`plan" (r`t`pläN"), n. [F.] The iterative sound of beating a ||drum, or of a galloping horse.

Ratch (rch), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Rotche.

Ratch (rch), n. [See Rack the instrument, Ratchet.] A ratchet wheel, or notched bar, with which a pawl or click works.

Ratch"el (-l), n. Gravelly stone. [Prov. Eng.]

Ratch"et (-t), n. [Properly a diminutive from the same word as rack: cf. F. rochet. See 2d Ratch, Rack the instrument.] 1. A pawl, click, or detent, for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.

2. A mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel, or ratch, and pawl. See Ratchet wheel, below, and 2d Ratch.

Ratchet brace (Mech.), a boring brace, having a ratchet wheel and pawl for rotating the tool by back and forth movements of the brace handle. -- Ratchet drill, a portable machine for working a drill by hand, consisting of a hand lever carrying at one end a drill holder which is revolved by means of a ratchet wheel and pawl, by swinging the lever back and forth. -- Ratchet wheel (Mach.), a circular wheel having teeth, usually angular, with which a reciprocating pawl engages to turn the wheel forward, or a stationary pawl to hold it from turning backward.

In the cut, the moving pawl c slides over the teeth in one direction, but in returning, draws the wheel with it, while the pawl d prevents it from turning in the contrary direction.

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Rate (rt), v. t. & i. [Perh. fr. E. rate, v. t., to value at a certain rate, to estimate, but more prob. fr. Sw. rata to find fault, to blame, to despise, to hold cheap; cf. Icel. hrat refuse, hrati rubbish.] To chide with vehemence; to scold; to censure violently. Spenser.

Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy!

Shak.

Conscience is a check to beginners in sin, reclaiming them from it, and rating them for it.

Barrow.

Rate, n. [OF., fr. L. rata (sc. pars), fr. ratus reckoned, fixed by calculation, p. p. of reri to reckon, to calculate. Cf. Reason.] 1. Established portion or measure; fixed allowance.

The one right feeble through the evil rate Of food which in her duress she had found.

Spenser.

2. That which is established as a measure or criterion; degree; standard; rank; proportion; ratio; as, a slow rate of movement; rate of interest is the ratio of the interest to the principal, per annum.

Heretofore the rate and standard of wit was different from what it is nowadays.

South.

In this did his holiness and godliness appear above the rate and pitch of other men's, in that he was so . . . merciful.

Calamy.

Many of the horse could not march at that rate, nor come up soon enough.

Clarendon.

3. Valuation; price fixed with relation to a standard; cost; charge; as, high or low rates of transportation.

They come at dear rates from Japan.

Locke.

4. A tax or sum assessed by authority on property for public use, according to its income or value; esp., in England, a local tax; as, parish rates; town rates.

5. Order; arrangement. [Obs.]

Thus sat they all around in seemly rate.

Spenser.

6. Ratification; approval. [R.] Chapman.

7. (Horol.) The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time; as, daily rate; hourly rate; etc.

8. (Naut.) (a) The order or class to which a war vessel belongs, determined according to its size, armament, etc.; as, first rate, second rate, etc. (b) The class of a merchant vessel for marine insurance, determined by its relative safety as a risk, as A1, A2, etc.

Rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rated; p. pr. & vb. n. Rating.] 1. To set a certain estimate on; to value at a certain price or degree.

To rate a man by the nature of his companions is a rule frequent indeed, but not infallible.

South.

You seem not high enough your joys to rate.

Dryden.

2. To assess for the payment of a rate or tax.

3. To settle the relative scale, rank, position, amount, value, or quality of; as, to rate a ship; to rate a seaman; to rate a pension.

4. To ratify. [Obs.] "To rate the truce." Chapman.

To rate a chronometer, to ascertain the exact rate of its gain or loss as compared with true time, so as to make an allowance or computation dependent thereon.

Syn. -- To value; appraise; estimate; reckon.

Rate, v. i. 1. To be set or considered in a class; to have rank; as, the ship rates as a ship of the line.

2. To make an estimate.

Rate"a*ble (-*b'l), a. See Ratable.

Ra"tel (r"tl), n. [F.] (Zoöl.) Any carnivore of the genus Mellivora, allied to the weasels and the skunks; -- called also honey badger.

Several species are known in Africa and India. The Cape ratel (M. Capensis) and the Indian ratel (M. Indica) are the best known. The back is gray; the lower parts, face, and tail are black. They are fond of honey, and rob the nests of wild bees.

Rate"pay`er (-p`r), n. One who pays rates or taxes.

Rat"er (rt"r), n. One who rates or estimates.

Rat"er, n. One who rates or scolds.

Rat"fish` (rt"fsh`), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Rat-tail.

Rath (rth), n. [Ir. rath.] 1. A hill or mound. [Ireland] Spenser.

2. A kind of ancient fortification found in Ireland.

{ Rath, Rathe } (rth), a. [AS. hræð, hræd, quick, akin to OHG. hrad, Icel. hraðr.] Coming before others, or before the usual time; early. [Obs. or Poetic]

Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies.

Milton.

{ Rath, Rathe, } adv. Early; soon; betimes. [Obs. or Poetic]

Why rise ye up so rathe?

Chaucer.

Too rathe cut off by practice criminal.

Spenser.

Rath"er (r"r), a. [Compar. of Rath, a.] Prior; earlier; former. [Obs.]

Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.

Sir J. Mandeville.

Rath"er (r"r; 277), adv. [AS. hraðor, compar. of hraðe, hræðe, quickly, immediately. See Rath, a.]

1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.]

Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.

Chaucer.

A good mean to come the rather to grace.

Foxe.

2. More readily or willingly; preferably.

My soul chooseth . . . death rather than my life.

Job vii. 15.

3. On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead.

Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.

Mark v. 26.

4. Of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat.

He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain, And nowhere finding, rather feared her slain.

Dryden.

5. More properly; more correctly speaking.

This is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The art itself is nature.

Shak.

6. In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.

The rather, the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause.

You are come to me in happy time, The rather for I have some sport in hand.

Shak.

-- Had rather, or Would rather, prefer to; prefers to; as, he had, or would, rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." 1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under Had.

Rath"ripe` (rth"rp`), a. Rareripe, or early ripe. -- n. A rareripe. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Such who delight in rathripe fruits.

Fuller.

Rat`i*fi*ca"tion (rt`*f*k"shn), n. [Cf. F. ratification.] The act of ratifying; the state of being ratified; confirmation; sanction; as, the ratification of a treaty.

Rat"i*fi`er (rt"*f`r), n. One who, or that which, ratifies; a confirmer. Shak.

Rat"i*fy (-f), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ratified (-fd); p. pr. & vb. n. Ratifying (- f`ng).] [F. ratifier, fr. L. ratus fixed by calculation, firm, valid + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Rate, n., and -fy.] To approve and sanction; to make valid; to confirm; to establish; to settle; especially, to give sanction to, as something done by an agent or servant; as, to ratify an agreement, treaty, or contract; to ratify a nomination.

It is impossible for the divine power to set a seal to a lie by ratifying an imposture with such a miracle.

South.

Rat`i*ha*bi"tion (-h*bsh"n), n. [L. ratihabitio; ratus fixed, valid + habere to hold.] Confirmation or approbation, as of an act or contract. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.